I don’t fully understand, but you’re right. I don’t care. I love you, Charlene. And I’ll never stop trying to prove how much. By the time I die, you won’t doubt me.
My heart wanted to burst with what I felt for the man holding me.
Michelle’s fingers twitched in mine before I could answer. This time, she released me. Any lingering strain from keeping her in that white room faded as she looked around, aware of the present.
“What did you see?” Olivia asked.
“A disturbingly large decrease in images. Mostly scenes of us here at the hotel or on the road. Mixed in were scenes of a desertscape. A bunch of people were in those, all grouped close together. I could see the smallest detail of the desert, but everything about the people, who they were, what they were doing, all of it was blurry.”
Our future was blurred? That didn’t sound good.
“Maybe it was blurry because the future is not yet decided,” Jim said.
I watched Olivia and her quietly thoughtful expression. She knew more than she let on, and that worried Winifred because she thought it meant Olivia was going to betray us. I didn’t believe that, though. I knew what it was like to have a secret that couldn’t be shared.
“I’m not sure,” she said finally. “Did you see anything else?” Her gentle, dark gaze shifted to Michelle.
“Just that same desert location. It reminded me of pictures I saw in a magazine of Utah’s desert.”
“You saw nothing else?” she pressed.
“Nope. Just here, the vehicles, and the desert.” She hesitated for a moment. “Wait, there was one other thing that stood out. It was a swirl of grey over the desert, like the whole thing was covered with smoke. A fire maybe.”
Olivia closed her eyes for a brief moment.
“At least, we know we need to go to a desert,” she said when she opened them again. “Just not what we need to do once we get there.”
“Maybe we’ll have the answer by that time,” Jim said. “If you’re only seeing this hotel and driving, it’s clear we’re meant to head to the desert from here. Clay should be well enough to travel in a few hours.”
Michelle shook her head before he finished.
“I know we need to hurry, but we also need time to rest,” she said.
“The longer we sit in one spot, the more we risk everyone. Everything,” he said.
I understood what he was saying, but all we’d been doing was rush around, which hadn’t gotten us any further ahead in this game we seemed to be playing.
“I agree with Michelle,” I said. “Winifred is still stitching Clay, and I’m pretty sure Isabelle and Carlos took a beating to keep as many away from us as possible. If we rush into this without everyone healed…”
“We will fail,” Olivia said with a sigh. “How long will it take for everyone to recover?”
“I’ll check with Winifred,” Jim said.
He didn’t move to leave, though, and I knew he was using his new ability to communicate with the other Elders.
My heart broke for him all over again. My baby. My boy. I’d seen the way he’d looked at Olivia. She was meant to be his Mate, and fate had cruelly taken that chance from him. Just like Grey.
GABBY…
Clay didn’t move much as Winifred continued her work. She, Henry, and Sam were the only ones still in the room with us.
Henry watched me from across the room, pity in his gaze. He understood what I was going through better than anyone else. The terror of the moment when I’d felt his pain still gripped me.
A wash of love swept through me, not as comforting as it should have been. If not for all those humans suddenly coming to our aid…
A shaky exhale escaped me.
“Clay will be fine, Gabby,” Sam said.
